


If There’s An Answer

by cafflow



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Canon Universe, Fluff, Ghosts, M/M, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:35:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23980183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cafflow/pseuds/cafflow
Summary: The hotel’s full of ghosts and Mingyu can’t sleep. Jeonghan’s the solution to both problems.
Relationships: Kim Mingyu/Yoon Jeonghan
Comments: 18
Kudos: 92





	If There’s An Answer

**Author's Note:**

> This is very loosely inspired by the drama _Master’s Sun_.

_one_.

In hindsight, Mingyu thought, the ghost swinging merrily from the doorframe of the hotel entrance was probably a good indicator of the situation inside.

If he hadn’t been half-dead from an extreme case of jet lag, exacerbated by three nights of inexplicable insomnia, Mingyu might have remembered to be more discreet in his horror when he realised the dead in the lobby almost outnumbered the living. He’d encountered plenty of ghosts in the past ten years, enough that he’d developed a first-rate poker face out of sheer necessity, but he’d never seen so many concentrated in one place. There were at least thirteen gathered in a seating area in the corner, all wearing walking shoes and looking at a display of sightseeing pamphlets, like a tour group from the afterlife.

In a daze, Mingyu followed his group members and their accompanying staff to the reception desk, where he had to studiously avoid eye contact with a bored-looking ghost wearing the hotel staff uniform. Harder to deal with was the teenage ghost who left the elevator and came over to stare at them; her interest seemed to be solely on their hair, and Mingyu just barely resisted reaching up to tidy his.

‘Alright, everyone,’ Seungcheol said, turning away from his conversation with their managers and leading them to a spot by the pamphlets display. Mingyu watched the sightseeing ghosts shuffle politely along as Seungcheol held up a handful of keycards. ‘Who’s rooming with who? Let’s decide quickly so we can go up and get some rest.’

Jihoon yawned. ‘It would be easiest if we just room with whoever’s standing closest to us.’

‘You must be so disappointed, making that suggestion knowing there’s no one next to you,’ Wonwoo said dryly, to which Jihoon merely responded with a guileless smile.

‘Never mind him,’ Seokmin said. ‘Look who Mingyu would have to room with if we did it that way.’

Mingyu glanced around and realised that while the others had been talking, Jeonghan had wandered past him to look at the pamphlets, in the process becoming the person nearest Mingyu. For some reason, he was leafing through a pamphlet extolling the beauty of apple orchards in autumn.

‘I’m a great roommate and anyone would be lucky to have me,’ Jeonghan said breezily, studying a photo of a row of apple trees with apparently genuine interest.

There was a collective groan of disbelief, but Mingyu’s tired brain woke up long enough to remind him of several key facts:

  1. The hotel seemed to have an extensive supernatural clientele, and judging by the ghosts entering and exiting the elevators, there was no reason to think they were restricting themselves to the lobby.
  2. Mingyu desperately needed sleep if he was going to make it through the next few days of their tour.
  3. That would definitely not happen while he was surrounded by ghosts.



And the most important fact of all, which continued to puzzle him:

  1. Skin contact with Jeonghan, and Jeonghan only, had the temporary effect of wiping all ghosts from Mingyu’s sight.



The problem with the logical conclusion to stay with Jeonghan, Miracle Eraser of Ghosts, was that as much as Mingyu adored him, Jeonghan could be an absolutely insufferable roommate and Mingyu had yet to voluntarily room with him on any of their trips overseas. Was his help really worth the inevitable fighting over lights being too bright or music being too on or whether Jeonghan tripping over the shoes by the door was his own fault or Mingyu’s?

The teenage ghost who’d been admiring everyone’s hair drifted over again. Mingyu envisioned waking up in the middle of the night to find her staring at his head.

‘I can room with Jeonghan-hyung,’ he said decisively.

‘You don’t actually have to, you know,’ Seokmin said. He paused and glanced at Jeonghan, before adding, ‘Not that Jeonghan-hyung isn’t a wonderful roommate, of course. I’m thrilled about the possibility of sharing with him again!’

‘No, I want to,’ Mingyu insisted. ‘It’s good to try new things. It helps with... personal growth.’

‘I wonder if he can say that without sounding like someone’s forcing poison down his throat,’ he heard Chan mutter to Wonwoo.

Jeonghan frowned. ‘I don’t think I want any more personal growth right now.’

Minghao, who had already paired up with Vernon and gotten their room keycards from Seungcheol without any fuss, smiled at Jeonghan. ‘Mingyu’s a good roommate, hyung. Didn’t you say you two have been getting along especially well lately? Now seems like the right time to try rooming together again.’

‘Well, the rest of us are tired so we’re going with Jihoon’s suggestion,’ Seungcheol said blithely. ‘If you really can’t stand sharing with each other, find someone to trade with tomorrow. In the meantime, everyone keep an ear out for sounds of brawling from their room.’

Jeonghan rolled his eyes. ‘We’re not that bad.’

Seokmin sidled up to Mingyu as the group moved towards the elevators and said in an exaggerated whisper, ‘The best way to keep him happy is to wake up early every morning, so you can have a hot breakfast waiting for him. Make sure to greet him politely every time he comes into the room; he especially likes it when you bow to him.’

‘What kind of nonsense are you telling him?’ Jeonghan demanded. He chased a laughing Seokmin into one of the elevators, inadvertently running through a ghost just stepping out.

‘You’re all so energetic,’ Jun commented, blinking blearily as he followed them in. ‘How?’

‘Jeonghan lives to be contrary,’ Joshua said. He squeezed in with his suitcase and pressed the button for the seventh floor. ‘Don’t let him bully you, Mingyu. Come find me if you need help handling him.’

‘Or me,’ Seungcheol piped up.

Joshua arched an eyebrow in polite disbelief. ‘You’re even worse at standing up to Jeonghan than Mingyu.’

’I don’t think it’ll come to that,’ Mingyu cut in before Seungcheol could reply. ‘It’s going to be fun.’

Everyone in the elevator laughed, including Jeonghan.

‘Even I wasn’t convinced by that,’ he said. He patted Mingyu on the shoulder. ‘But it’s sweet of you to try.’

-

As Mingyu predicted, the seventh floor wasn’t any less busy than the lobby. Ghosts bustled up and down the carpeted corridor, and he suppressed a shudder as he followed his members around a corner and promptly walked through the right side of an old man chatting to a friend. Mingyu couldn’t feel ghosts— and as far as he could tell, they couldn’t feel him— but seeing himself go straight through another person never failed to elicit a visceral reaction in him.

He was relieved when he and Jeonghan reached their room at the end of the corridor.

‘What’s with you?’ Jeonghan asked, eyeing him strangely. ‘You seem jumpy.’

‘I’m fine,’ Mingyu said, before immediately fumbling and dropping his keycard.

‘Yes, nothing wrong at all.’ Jeonghan took the keycard from him and held it to the scanner, then pressed him inside. There were, for the moment, no ghosts in the room. ‘Go sit down. Are you hungry?’

Mingyu slung his luggage onto an armchair and shook his head, watching Jeonghan draw the floor-length curtains so that the room was lit only by the warm glow of the lamps. The lack of sleep and stress of suddenly finding himself in a ghost-infested hotel was starting to catch up to him, and Mingyu sat down on the edge of one of the beds, wanting nothing more than to sink into it and sleep forever.

‘Go get changed and wash up if you want to sleep,’ Jeonghan ordered.

Mingyu sighed, but did as he was told. The routine was familiar even if it was in an unfamiliar place, and he left the bathroom feeling a little damp around the edges, but calmer.

Jeonghan was scrolling through his phone when Mingyu came out. He’d changed into a loose shirt and pyjama pants and looked deceptively soft in the dim light.

‘Don’t wait up for me if you feel tired,’ he said. He tossed his phone aside and walked over to scrutinise Mingyu, who couldn’t help fidgeting under his gaze. ‘Really, Mingyu, are you okay?’

‘Yes, hyung. I just need more sleep, that’s all.’

‘Alright.’ Jeonghan’s fingers brushed over the skin under Mingyu’s eyes, where dark shadows gave truth to his words. There was no shock of electricity, no rush of adrenaline that preluded Jeonghan’s ability coming into effect, but Mingyu shivered, knowing that— for a little while at least— he would no longer be disturbed by restless spirits. ‘Sleep well, then.’

Mingyu was so tired that it felt almost indecently indulgent to be curled up under cool sheets in a comfortable bed, with nothing to stop him from sleeping for a solid ten hours. He lay there, eyes closed and breathing steady, but he was still awake when Jeonghan finished in the bathroom and he was still awake an hour later. He wanted to sleep so badly that the thought of another night of insomnia frustrated him almost to the point of tears.

‘Hyung,’ he whispered. ‘Hyung, are you sleeping?’

Jeonghan sighed. ‘I’m not now. What’s wrong?’

‘I can’t sleep. I haven’t been able to sleep for three days now and I don’t know why.’

Jeonghan didn’t immediately reply, but Mingyu could almost sense him thinking.

‘Is there something worrying you?’ Jeonghan asked carefully. He sounded so serious, like he was already resigned to the worst-case scenario. ‘Is it money? A... relationship problem?’

‘No! It’s nothing like whatever you’re thinking.’

‘You haven’t been unwell recently, have you?’

‘No. There’s nothing wrong except that no matter how tired I am, I just can’t sleep. I’ve tried exercise, meditation, natural supplements, changing my routine... So many things, but nothing _works_.’

Mingyu’s voice broke, and he lapsed into humiliated silence. He felt stupid and overdramatic and he was glad it was dark enough that he and Jeonghan couldn’t see each other clearly.

‘Come here,’ Jeonghan said.

‘Why?’ Mingyu asked, momentarily startled out of his low mood.

‘Mingyu. I’m trying to help, so just come here.’

Jeonghan was sitting up with a pillow propped behind his back. He tugged Mingyu down onto the bed, guiding Mingyu’s head to a second pillow on his lap, before pulling the sheets over their legs. It was a tight fit, but there was just enough space for both of them this way, pressed so closely together that Mingyu could feel the minute shifts of Jeonghan’s body as he breathed.

‘Sometimes it helps to have another person with you if you’re having trouble sleeping,’ Jeonghan said, a little awkwardly. ‘Since nothing else has worked, let’s try this.’

The intense weariness caused by Mingyu’s insomnia made lying in the dark in Jeonghan’s lap, his fingers combing gently through Mingyu’s hair, feel almost surreal. Mingyu lay there, eyes closed and breathing steady, and this time it was as though tension he didn’t even know he had was gradually falling away, leaving him fragile and spent. He didn’t think he could move even if he tried.

‘How can you sleep with me here like this?’ he asked drowsily after a while. ‘I should go back to my own bed.’

Jeonghan didn’t stop touching him, slow and steady and soothing. ‘It’s fine. If you’re really concerned about me, stop making me worry about you and go to sleep.’

Mingyu did as he was told and slept.

;-;

_two_.

Without the constant fog of exhaustion, everything seemed brighter. Mingyu spent the next day feeling as though he had enough energy to power him through the entire week.

‘What happened with you two?’ Joshua asked during a break in rehearsal, turning from Mingyu chattering excitedly with Minghao to Jeonghan splayed out in the middle of the stage. ‘Did Mingyu infuriate you so much that you couldn’t sleep, Jeonghan?’

Vernon looked thoughtful. ‘It’s almost like he drained you of all your energy, hyung.’

‘Shhh,’ Jeonghan said, waving a hand impatiently at them. ‘Let me rest.’

‘I’m not a vampire,’ Mingyu said, breaking off from his conversation to prod Jeonghan’s side. ‘Turn over, hyung. I’ll help you relax.’

Jeonghan grumbled, but he was eventually persuaded to roll onto his front with his cheek resting on his hands, and Mingyu smoothed out his shirt and began carefully rubbing his neck, working slowly over his shoulders to his lower back. He had grouched a bit in the morning about being stiff from having to sit up for most of the night, but his complaints had sounded almost perfunctory and he didn’t once blame Mingyu. Jeonghan really could be very sweet sometimes.

‘Hey, Mingyu, I’m tired, too!’ Seungcheol called out from where he was sitting with Seungkwan, their heads bent low in discussion. ‘Can I have a massage?’

‘No, this is a Jeonghan-hyung exclusive. Make Seungkwan give you one.’

‘Please be more considerate of the bet I made that by the time we leave, one of you will have stormed out after an argument and declared you’ll never room together again,’ Joshua said.

‘You’re going to lose that bet, Joshuji.’ Jeonghan let out a pleased moan when Mingyu reached a particularly tense knot of muscles, and Mingyu felt himself flush. ‘As you can see, we’re getting along very well.’

‘I bet that you’d have a great time together and pick each other as roommates at least once more,’ Seokmin said, looking at Jeonghan as if he expected to be praised.

‘Only because no one else thinks it’ll happen and you wanted to bet on whatever has a better payout,’ Vernon said.

‘That’s not true,’ Seokmin protested. ‘Minghao agrees with me!’

‘All of you need to find more hobbies,’ Mingyu told them.

Jeonghan nodded, though his position made him look more like a cat nuzzling against its own paws. ‘Live a full and rich life like me and you won’t have to resort to gambling for entertainment.’

Seokmin and Vernon laughed, but Joshua reached out to whack the back of Jeonghan’s head.

‘I really never thought it was possible for anyone to be as annoying as you,’ Joshua said, exasperated and amused. ‘You’ve definitely helped broaden my life experiences that way.’

Jeonghan reached back blindly and Mingyu helpfully guided his hand to hit Joshua on the calf. He was apparently too lazy to do anything more than that, content to lounge under Mingyu’s attention until rehearsal resumed.

It was a hectic day, but even after rehearsal, dinner and a walk with Minghao, Mingyu was only tired in a quiet sort of way, not the bone-deep, frustrating exhaustion of before. It was odd, when he stopped to think about it; was it possible for a single night’s sleep to undo the effects of three nights of insomnia? He’d never even felt this good any of the times they’d been on break with semi-regular sleep schedules.

Something weird was going on. It had been almost too easy, the way Jeonghan’s presence got him to sleep when nothing else could. He wondered if it had anything to do with Jeonghan’s ghost-erasing ability.

As if sensing his thoughts, Minghao suddenly said, ‘Jeonghan-hyung was checking up on you.’

Mingyu looked up from where he was sprawled across the end of Minghao’s bed, paging through his latest sketches. ‘Hmm? Why?’

‘He asked me if I knew whether you were stressed about anything. He seemed worried.’

‘Oh.’ Mingyu hesitated. ‘It must be because I told him I haven’t been sleeping well lately.’

‘ _Is_ something wrong?’

‘If there is, I must not be consciously aware of it because I have no idea why it’s happening. I don’t often get insomnia.’

Minghao smiled lightly. ‘Maybe there’s a ghost making trouble for you.’

Mingyu froze and took a moment to make sure his expression was neutral. ‘What do you mean?’

‘Well, back home— in China, I mean— the Ghost Festival is coming up. Some people blame anything bad happening to them around this time on ghosts who’ve come out to visit.’ Minghao tilted his head. ‘Why do you look so serious? Do you believe in ghosts?’

Mingyu wished he still had the option not to.

‘I don’t think anyone can know for sure what happens after death,’ Mingyu said, choosing his words deliberately. He didn’t want to lie, but he had no intention of sharing his secret with any of his members just yet.

‘A very careful answer,’ Minghao laughed. ‘Don’t worry; I’m sure any ghosts visiting have better things to do than to bother you.’

-

Jeonghan was in bed and poking around on his phone when Mingyu returned to their room, still thinking about whether the Ghost Festival had anything to do with his insomnia and the number of ghosts in the hotel. Of course, Mingyu thought ruefully, it could simply be that the hotel was especially haunted and it was just his bad luck that they’d ended up there.

‘What do you think of this photo?’ Jeonghan held up his phone, turning it so Mingyu could see the screen. ‘Should I post it?’

Bending to see it more clearly, Mingyu found it was a picture of Jeonghan and Joshua leaning against each other on the bottom step of a flight of stairs, eyes closed and smiling faintly. It seemed to have been taken at some point during rehearsal; afternoon sunlight slanting through a window above cast a soft glow over them both.

‘It’s pretty,’ he said honestly. ‘You and Shua-hyung look very angelic. It’s too bad I know you in real life so the effect is kind of ruined.’

‘Funny,’ Jeonghan said dryly, though he couldn’t seem to help smiling, anyway.

Mingyu left him to it and set about getting ready for bed. By the time he was done, Jeonghan had put his phone away and was tucked under the covers, lying on his side to face Mingyu with his arm hanging over the side of the bed. Mingyu felt an unexpected burst of affection at the sight.

‘Do you think you’ll be able to sleep tonight?’ Jeonghan asked.

‘I hope so.’ He climbed into bed and mimicked Jeonghan’s position. ‘I... Hyung, I wanted to thank you for yesterday. You had an uncomfortable night because of me.’

Jeonghan made a face. ‘It’s fine. Don’t thank me.’

Mingyu tried not to smile. Instead, he reached across and caught Jeonghan’s fingers. They felt cold and thin, and Mingyu couldn’t help enclosing them more firmly in his hand to warm them up.

‘Can you just let me say this, please?’ He waited until Jeonghan visibly relented, then continued. ‘I was in a really bad headspace and you helped me out of it without hesitation. Thank you, hyung. I’m glad I have you in my life.’

Jeonghan was practically wriggling in embarrassment, but surprisingly, he didn’t pull away to hide.

‘How can you be so earnest?’ he wondered out loud. ‘Don’t you feel shy saying things like that?’

‘Why? It’s true and it’s important to me that you know it.’

Jeonghan sighed heavily and shook their joined hands lightly. ‘Kim Mingyu, Seventeen’s Sweetheart. Alright, let’s go to sleep. We have another long day tomorrow.’

It felt good ending the day on such a warm note, and Mingyu fell asleep happily. That sense of peace was still there when he woke with a jolt three hours later, long before his alarm was due to go off, and lasted right up until he spotted the shadow by the window.

Mingyu let out an instinctive gasp and reached clumsily for something to use as a weapon. It wasn’t until he’d knocked his phone off the bedside table that his sleep-clouded mind realised the intruder was in all likelihood the supernatural kind. He had held Jeonghan’s hand while they talked, but Jeonghan’s ability to erase ghosts never lasted more than a few hours.

The ghost seemed to be a man, tall and built like a swimmer. He was looking out through a gap in the curtains and didn’t turn when Jeonghan began stirring.

‘What’s happening?’ Jeonghan mumbled. ‘Is it time to get up?’

Mingyu fumbled for a convincing response that didn’t involve babbling about ghosts, but he defied anyone to think clearly at four in the morning. He could only stay silent while Jeonghan checked the time on his phone.

Jeonghan groaned and fell back onto his bed. ‘Mingyu! _Why_ are you waking me up at this hour?’

Faced with Jeonghan’s anger, Mingyu landed on an answer most likely to garner sympathy. ‘I had a nightmare.’

‘A nightmare.’

‘... Yes. I’m sorry, hyung, I didn’t mean to wake you. I think I was running from something in my dream and I... must have moved enough that I started knocked things over?’

‘You don’t sound sure.’

‘You know what dreams are like, hyung. The details usually fade as soon as you wake up.’

He was lucky it was too early for Jeonghan to pursue it any further, or he would have been in more trouble. As it was, Jeonghan didn’t seem too suspicious when he asked, ‘Then are you okay now?’

Mingyu looked at the ghost still motionless by the window. There was really nothing to fear from him, especially since he seemed wholly preoccupied by the view outside, but to Mingyu, the thought of trying to sleep while he could see someone standing in the room was incredibly unsettling. It was like a scene straight out of the kind of horror movies he hated.

It was embarrassing and he knew he was going to come off as shameless and a little— or a lot— weird, but he had no choice except to ask: ‘Can I sleep with you tonight?’

Jeonghan was quiet for so long that Mingyu wondered if he’d simply decided to avoid the question by pretending to have fallen asleep.

‘The dream was that bad?’ Jeonghan finally asked him.

‘Yes,’ Mingyu said. He felt guilty for lying and taking advantage of Jeonghan’s soft side, and he resolved to do something to make it up to Jeonghan later.

‘We managed last night, I suppose,’ Jeonghan said uncertainly and Mingyu didn’t wait any longer to throw himself onto Jeonghan’s bed. Jeonghan yelped in surprise.

‘At least wait until I’ve made space!’ he exclaimed, trying to roll over to avoid being crushed and getting tangled in the sheets.

Mingyu managed to grasp onto Jeonghan’s waist in the dark and helped shift him bodily to the side. Jeonghan’s shirt had ridden up in his haste to move and at the first touch of his bare skin, the ghost vanished. Mingyu slumped gratefully into the pillows.

‘You’re too big,’ Jeonghan complained, shoving at him. ‘We can’t fit side-by-side in a bed this size.’

‘So we’ll do something similar to yesterday, except the other way around.’

Mingyu didn’t bother waiting for a response. He slid his left arm under Jeonghan’s back and pushed him upward, encouraging him to roll back towards Mingyu. With a little shifting and readjustment, Jeonghan ended up half-sprawled over Mingyu’s chest, one of his legs neatly slotted between Mingyu’s.

‘This is not a very comfortable position,’ Jeonghan informed him, sounding strained.

‘Feels good to me,’ Mingyu said. It really did once he figured the best way to avoid his arms getting trapped and going numb was to simply wrap them around Jeonghan, who was always nice to hug when he wasn’t being deliberately prickly. ‘You’re always cold, hyung, so I can be your hot water bottle.’

‘A dream come true,’ Jeonghan said sarcastically, but he stayed where he was and was soon sound asleep. Mingyu counted that as a win.

;-;

_three_.

Even with his sleep interrupted, Mingyu was still filled with the same intense energy he’d noticed after their first night in the hotel. It had to have something to do with Jeonghan; if there really were more ghosts currently roaming the earth and Mingyu’s insomnia was somehow caused by it, maybe there was something about Jeonghan’s ability that was able to counteract it. It would be worth testing once he was in a place where he could go a night without sleeping with Jeonghan.

Mingyu paused in the middle of brushing his teeth and felt his cheeks colour. That didn’t sound quite right, even in his head. Had he really said that out loud last night?

The unnatural energy proved useful in getting him through the day, especially the second half of their concert. His vocals were clear and stable and he knew his dancing was sharper than it had ever been. Soonyoung told him as much when they retreated backstage for a vocal team performance.

‘All that working out must have given you something other than all those muscles,’ Soonyoung teased him. ‘Your stamina seems to have improved a lot.’

It was as good an explanation as any, given that he couldn’t exactly say it was thanks to Jeonghan. Mingyu accepted the praise a little shyly and went to find a monitor to watch the vocal team. All five of them shone bright under the spotlights, but his attention kept drifting to Jeonghan, who seemed even more ethereal than usual as he wandered around the stage. It was oddly fitting, Mingyu thought, that the one person who could help him with his ghosts was someone who was himself so otherworldly.

-

‘Did you see what happened towards the end?’ Seungkwan said through an uncontrollable fit of laughter. He collapsed heavily onto Mingyu’s shoulder, making him drop the knitted scarf he was trying to fold. ‘Jun-hyung was doing some kind of spinning dance and accidentally kicked over a water bottle. It bounced all the way to Vernon, who just picked it up and casually drank from it like it was a delivery he’d been expecting. It was amazing. Chan and I couldn’t stop laughing.’

Mingyu grinned. ‘You can’t seem to stop laughing now.’

‘Because the concert went so well! I’m very happy.’

The door opened and Jeonghan slipped in, looking disgruntled.

‘I was in Shua’s room and Seokmin convinced him and Jun to go on VLive with him,’ he said. ‘It’s so noisy in there now, but they told me to go away if I didn’t like it.’

‘Come hang out with us, hyung!’ Seungkwan suggested enthusiastically. ‘We’re fun, too!’

Jeonghan perched on Mingyu’s bed and smiled. ‘Have you been drinking?’

‘No, he’s just drunk on life,’ Mingyu said. He refolded his scarf and continued packing while Seungkwan was distracted with repeating all the anecdotes he’d just finishing telling Mingyu.

‘There are already some concert photos online,’ Seungkwan said as he and Jeonghan moved onto sorting through the snacks Mingyu and Jeonghan had accumulated during their stay. He eyed a tin of sugared nuts before settling on some paprika chips. ‘I thought Mingyu looked especially cool today when we were performing “Getting Closer”.’

‘Mingyu did very well,’ Jeonghan agreed.

The compliment was made through a mouthful of chips Jeonghan had stolen the second Seungkwan opened the bag, but Mingyu ducked his head, inordinately pleased.

‘Look, he’s getting shy!’ Seungkwan exclaimed, pointing gleefully at Mingyu. ‘How cute.’

Jeonghan swung one leg over the other and leaned back in his armchair, smirking and looking every inch the villain in a drama— if villains in dramas crunched loudly on chips while scheming to embarrass people. ‘Mingyu can be quite cute. But I heard many people think he’s more sexy than cute these days. What do you think, Seungkwan?’

‘I can see that.’ Seungkwan stroked his chin like he was contemplating a deep philosophical question. ‘Certainly, the muscles add immediate sexiness. Have you paid much attention to them lately, hyung? It’s like they’ve doubled in size.’

Jeonghan looked like he was going to laugh, but if there was one thing Yoon Jeonghan never did, it was failing to see a joke to the end. ‘Oh, yes, I’ve had the opportunity to get up close and personal with them while we’ve been sharing a room. They’re very impressive.’

‘Okay, that’s enough,’ Mingyu said, face hot. He grabbed a pair of socks from his suitcase and hurled one at each of them as they giggled. ‘Stop teasing me and go do something useful instead.’

‘I’m improving my ability to keep a straight face through a skit!’ Seungkwan protested.

Jeonghan nearly choked on a chip. ‘Imagine going on a variety show just to perform a skit about Mingyu’s muscles.’

Seungkwan dissolved into laughter again and wouldn’t leave until Mingyu had pelted him with more socks and threatened to follow with underwear. Jeonghan was dealt with similarly, though it was clear by his attitude that he was only humouring Mingyu when he obediently stopped talking and went to work on his own packing.

There were no ghosts in their room that night— or at least, there weren’t any by the time they went to bed. Mingyu wasn’t quite sure what to do; he knew he had to get used to sleeping without Jeonghan in places like this, where there were more ghosts than he could reasonably expect to avoid. There might be a time in the future when they couldn’t room together, or weren’t together at all.

But it was so freeing to be able to just _sleep_ without being afraid of what might be lurking in the shadows or waiting for him if he woke in the middle of the night. There was a sense of security that came with sharing a bed with Jeonghan— not only because of his ability, but because of Jeonghan himself, who, though often frustrating and regularly maddening, would always represent warmth and safety to Mingyu.

He wanted that again, but it was too much to ask of Jeonghan for the third night in a row. Mingyu turned restlessly and resigned himself to sleeping alone.

‘Mingyu? Are you asleep?’

It was like a reversal of the first night. Mingyu rolled to face Jeonghan, even though there was no chance of seeing anything.

‘Why?’ he asked, smiling to himself. ‘Do you need help sleeping tonight?’

Jeonghan scoffed. ‘I can sleep anywhere, anytime, and you know it.’

‘If that’s true, why do you have so many rules for anyone who rooms with you?’

‘I didn’t say I can sleep _well_ without an ideal environment.’

He always had an answer to everything. Mingyu sighed. ‘Then what’s the problem, hyung?’

‘I was thinking that since you woke me up the last two nights, you might as well come over now so we can avoid that part.’

‘Really?’ Mingyu sat up and tried to tone down his delight before he spoke again. ‘I thought you said it was uncomfortable.’

‘It... wasn’t terrible. Anyway, it’s better than having to wake up and try to fall asleep all over again.’

Mingyu considered that. It all sounded perfectly logical on the surface, but there was something a little too measured about Jeonghan’s words.

‘That makes sense,’ Mingyu said mildly. He lay down, threw his sheets to the side, and shifted to make room. ‘The only thing is, I’ve hardly used my bed since we got here, so I think you should come over here instead.’

It was childish, but he was thrilled to have the upper hand for once. It was probably true that Jeonghan wanted to pre-empt another surprise wake-up call by sleeping together from the start, but it wasn’t as if two nights made for a definitive pattern. He was almost certain Jeonghan had liked sharing with him more than he’d expected. He’d fallen asleep long before Mingyu drifted off, and had been sleeping so soundly when Mingyu woke up that Mingyu almost didn’t have the heart to disturb him.

‘How can you make demands when I’m the one trying to help you?’ Jeonghan grumbled.

Mingyu heard him getting up and stumbling blindly over, so he wasn’t completely unprepared when Jeonghan misjudged the distance between them and and bumped into the bed, momentum forcing him to land ungracefully on Mingyu. For a moment, Jeonghan hovered right above him, balanced just a breath away; Mingyu could feel his startled exhale.

Maybe it was the late hour or lingering adrenaline from the concert or because Jeonghan always seemed softer at night, but Mingyu had a sudden, wild urge to lean up and kiss another gasp out of him. He wanted to strip Jeonghan of his self-control and make him admit his decision to come over wasn’t as unselfish as he pretended it was. He wanted _Jeonghan_.

Mingyu’s hands tightened on Jeonghan’s hips at the realisation, and Jeonghan unfroze.

‘Mingyu,’ he said firmly, though he couldn’t hide a slight tremor in his voice, ‘I think we should go to sleep now.’

He pulled back and Mingyu reluctantly let him. He was afraid Jeonghan might go back to his own bed, but instead, Jeonghan stayed and took the initiative in arranging their sleep positions. He settled onto Mingyu’s chest like it was his right, and it temporarily satisfied the fierce longing Mingyu had to get even closer to him.

Jeonghan swiped his thumb gently over Mingyu’s stomach. ‘Mingyu, I... will see you in the morning. Don’t— don’t dwell on anything or you won’t sleep.’

‘I won’t,’ Mingyu said quietly, and he meant it. He didn’t know how any of this would play out— if they would acknowledge it or pretend nothing had happened— but it was enough for now to be able to hold Jeonghan close, with whatever happened next still part of some nebulous future.

Jeonghan was warm and reassuringly solid against him. They slept.


End file.
